October 11, 2009

Telecom: Tools connecting the world and communicating about HIV


A very interesting article about - again- technologies and development, from the website of UNAIDS. October 5, 2009.

"Digital and technological revolutions have dramatically changed the way in which people communicate around the world. Many communities in developing countries don’t yet have access to computers and the internet however according to the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) an estimated 2.2 billion mobile phone users lived in developing countries by end 2008 – 64% of the global market. Estimates show that by 2012, half of all individuals in remote areas of the world, who often do not have access to clean running water, electricity or the Internet, will have mobile phones. The ITU is gathering the global telecommunications sector together in Geneva this week for Telecom WORLD 2009. The United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon opened the conference on 5 October. Delegates will explore areas of societal change including the digital divide, climate change, and disaster relief. With its focus on development opportunities, the event brings together corporate social responsibility and displays cases of best practices.
The explosion of mobile technology presents a great opportunity to scale up the AIDS response in poor countries.
UNAIDS Executive Director Michel SidibĂ© is convinced of the value of this approach. “Communication tools are reaching more and more people even in the most remote villages. They connect us all into a global community,” he said."

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